It truly has been amazing to see God’s hand at work these past 2 weeks in Haiti. In the face of a horrible tragedy, the Manna team found themselves among the most amazing people on the ground in hospitals, orphanages and even an airplane piloted by a Moroccan pilot adamant to get us into PAP despite not having clearance to do so! From the first moment Manna committed to traveling to Haiti, the prayers, support and encouragement passed on to us has continued to carry us through this challenging time. We thank you for that.
The Manna team that God brought together for this was amazing. We went in on faith knowing the Lord would direct our steps in how to best serve Him and the people of Haiti. And man, did HE deliver! Once landing in Port au Prince (PAP), the team immediately set out to find a standing hospital in which to serve. All hospitals that we were familiar with had been destroyed, thus we began our search for other clinics in hopes to find one to work with. Upon driving in downtown PAP, we found an area that had been set up for people who had been displaced from the earthquake and immediately saw several people that needed critical medical attention. While starting to assist an injured woman, we had an American man come over to us. We immediately recognized him as a surgeon that Holly had met a year ago in the Dominican Republic. He asked us if we had a place to serve yet and directed us toward the Haitian Community Hospital (HCH) in downtown PAP. We loaded up our truck with people needing medical attention and an hour later found ourselves among hundreds of critically injured people at HCH where we were able to set up a triage and immediately began assessing and treating people for the next 10 days.
At the same time the team was at work in PAP, the rest of the Manna team was mobilizing and working in the DR and the US. Norm coordinated shipments of supplies to cross the border into Haiti on a regular basis. Those runs are now being carried out three times a week with each one transporting over 7000 lbs. of food and supplies. We have been blessed to have numerous volunteers come down and help us in both Haiti and the DR to insure the work Manna is doing continues to have an impact in the lives of the Haitian people.
Our initial focus was meeting the acute needs of the people on the ground and forming a sustainable network in Haiti to continue the work. We are now moving into our long term efforts in order to continue to provide much needed assistance on various levels. We are fortunate that we have been able to partner with several other individuals and organizations to further facilitate this endeavor. Moving forward, the majority of our efforts will continue to consist of the following:
•Continue to routinely transport much needed food and medical supplies into Haiti
•Provide medical resources to HCH and local churches to care for the people
•Continue to partner with trusted individuals, local churches and organizations
•We have already organized teams to come in to assist and will continue to do so to address specific needs
•We are aware that people are leaving PAP and traveling to other parts of the country. Because of our relationships in the Cap Haitian area, we will also be assessing and meeting the needs of the displaced people there as we are able
People continue to ask us what stands out in our minds over the past two weeks. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be “HOPE”. We serve a loving God that provides hope in the midst of tragedy. The presence of God has been so evident in the people that have committed to share His light, which includes the incredible Haitian people living through this tragedy.
We look forward to keeping you updated and partnering with you in this endeavor as the Lord leads.
In Him,
Brad and Monica Gautney for the Manna team
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